OEEOPHASIS.— PEISTELOPE. 275 



and though he accompanied him on more than one occasion for the purpose of getting 

 a sight of this rare bird, he was not successful in doing so. In November, 1861, on 

 his second journey to Guatemala, in company with myself, while making an expedition 

 to the top of the volcano in order to take an observation of its altitude, we had nearly 

 passed through the belt of Cheirostemon forest when a large bird started from a bush 

 close to our track. I fired at it with small shot, thinking it was a " Kyi " (Penelopina 

 nigra), but failed to bring it down. Salvin, who saw the prominent white band across 

 the tail, instantly recognized that it was an Oreojahasis, and we started off in pursuit. 

 The bird did not go far, but joined two others in a tree at a short distance. Salvin 

 now got a shot, but the gun missed fire, though on a second attempt he wounded one, 

 which flew only a few yards into another tree, where he secured it ; we were unable to 

 come up with the others, though we followed them for some distance, as they flew from 

 tree to tree ahead of us. On skinning our specimen we found the crop, like that of most 

 of those previously obtained by our hunter, contained a fruit like a small plum, which 

 the bird appears to eat both ripe and unripe. Ordonez informed us that the Oreophasis 

 feeds in the early morning, but as the day advances descends to the ground, passing 

 the time scratching and rolling amongst the dead leaves, but if disturbed it immediately 

 takes to the trees. 



Salvin subsequently procured several specimens from the high range above the 

 village of Chicaman in Gueguetenango *, where it was fairly abundant ; and while 

 Champion was staying at the coffee-estate of " Las Nubes," on the Cerro Zunil, on the 

 Pacific slope, one was shot in the forest there at an elevation of about 7000 feet, but 

 the head only was sent home, the rest having been eaten. 



It is probable that the bird never descends much below 7000 feet and chiefly 

 frequents the Cheirostemon trees. 



The Oreophasis is known to the Indians as " Khannanay" and to the Ladinos or half- 

 breed Indians as " Faisan." 



Subfam. PENELOPINA. 



Upper mandible broader than high, without an elevated helmet ; top of the head 



covered with feathers. 



PENELOPE. 



Penelope, Merrem, Beytr. Vogel, ii. p. 42 (1786) ; Av. Icones et Descr. ii. p. 39 (1786) ; Grant, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 490 (1893). 



The Penelopes differ from the Curassows in having the width of the upper 



mandible greater than its height ; the nostrils, which are situated rather far forward, 



a large space round the eye, and the chin and throat are all naked, the last having a 



• Usually written " Huehuetenango." 



35* 



